Discover Hayle, Cornwall

Hayle, Cornwall, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1646_-_Hayle_Estuary_from_the_electric_works.jpg
Author: John Bennett


Hayle is a small town in western Cornwall, England. Located at the mouth of the Hayle River, which empties into St Ives Bay, it has a population of around 8,300 people (2012 estimate).

The name Hayle means "estuary" in the Cornish language. Although human habitation in this area goes back to the Bronze Age, Hayle was founded fairly recently, during the 18th century Industrial Revolution.

Hayle developed as a port for the export of ore and impore of coal. Initially it was overshadowed by nearby Angarrack, until the construction of its quay in the 1740s, which enabled it to provide full support of the rapidly growing mining industry. As a result, a copper smelter was also built in Hayle and a canal constructed to ease navigation.

In 1837, a railway line was built to connect Hayle with Redruth. Its purpose was to carry both passengers and goods. The growth of Hayle's engineering works continued until the mid-19th century, and then began a slow decline. In 1888, an explosive works was also establidhed in Hayle. Initially it supplied the mining industry, but proved useful during for the military during the First World War. The explosive works went into decline after the war, and fully ceased operations in the 1920s.

Today Hayle is a quiet town, a shadow of its former self. It has repositioned itself as a holiday destination, attracting visitors with water sports such as surfing, windsurfing and body-boarding.

Beach at Hayle: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SWCP_Lelant_Towans.jpg
Author: Geof Sheppard

Visiting Hayle

From Manchester, take the M5 motorway until it connects with the A30 road near Exeter. Head west on the A30 until you arrive at Hayle.

Places of Interest in Hayle

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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